We got our little guy the R2D2 droid for Christmas. It’s pretty cool for something you buy from Sharper Image. R2 is a motorized, voice activated replica of R2-D2 . He obeys commands, communicates with beeps and whistles, gestures, flashes his lights, swivels his dome, dances to a cantina song, plays games and navigates with sonar and infrared sensors.
R2 has three modes: Companion, where he’s friendly; Game, where he plays tag, spins and dances; and Command, where he maneuvers in different directions. He recognizes and reacts to 30 phrases; say Princess Leia’s name and R2 emits excited whistles, but… if you mention Darth Vader and he shakes with fear! He’s decent sized as 16 1/2″ x 11″ x 11″ and weighs 7 lbs. Supposedly he’s for ages 8 and up, but my 3 year old is having fun with him too. The only downside for the kids is that R2 responds better to people with a deeper voice, so he has a bit of trouble “understanding” the lil guy. Check out the vids:
Dance Program:
Spin the droid:
Play Message:
Light Beam:
great article, a bit outdated though